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RICE - After nearly three years of struggling to get a grant to build a new city hall, the City of Rice voted to reject the money Tuesday night.
The money came in, but it was offered not as a grant, but as a loan of $2.9 million with a $50,000 grant attached.
“The payments would be about $150,000 a year, which is about $15,000 a month,” said Rice Mayor Larry Bailey. “We just could not see a financial way we could do that.”
Originally, the city wanted to build a new city hall complex, and sought a federal grant of $1.5 million from the U.S. government. Under that scenario, the city’s payments would have been about $8,000 a month.
To seal the deal, the city had an environmental study done, got blueprints and plans drawn up, and was ready to turn dirt as soon as the grant was approved.
“If they’d left it the way it was, we probably could have afforded it, but there’s no way now,” Bailey said.
The process dragged out because of paperwork issues, and finally the city had to ask for assistance from U.S. Rep. Joe Barton’s office, Bailey said.
“We got approval two weeks later,” he said.
On Tuesday, the council voted to turn down the loan/grant, Bailey said.
“We definitely need a new city hall. We need a bigger place, but we’ll just have to make it work as long as we can,” he said. “Maybe we can come up with another way to do it later on.”
Also Tuesday, the Rice City Council voted to seek a new grant that would help Rice residents who are handicapped get refurbishment for their homes. Under the Amy Young Barrier Removal Program, each home can qualify for up to $20,000 for a wheelchair ramp, handrails, new counters, and to have doors widened.
“It’s coming from the state, but it’s based on each applicant,” explained Tonya Roberts, city secretary. “We’re going to find the people and reserve the fund and administer the grant.”
That grant has a quick turn around time, Roberts said.
“We’ve been told that when someone applies for the program they’ll know within two weeks if they’re approved or not,” she said.
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Janet Jacobs may be reached via e-mail at jacobs@corsicanadailysun.com. Want to “sound off” to this article? E-mail: Soundoff@corsicanadailysun.com
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